By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
KANSAS CITY - Bishop LeBlond got off to a decently strong start, and fended off a furious charge from Polo late in a 49-39 victory at Staley High School Tuesday in a Class 2 state sectional.
LeBlond (26-3) led 27-19 at halftime and then 40-29 early in the fourth. Everything seemed to be going the Golden Eagles' way, but a 10-0 run by Polo made it a 40-39 game in the closing minutes.
LeBlond weathered the storm, and ended the game on a 9-0 run of their own to put the game out of reach.
The Golden Eagles made 7-of-8 free throws in the fourth quarter alone and were 14-of-18 in the whole game.
Senior Shae Lewis scored a team-high 15 points - 11 of that came in the first quarter. Senior Tatum Studer scored 13 of her 14 points in the second half.
Junior Kaleigh Ziesel added nine points. Senior Chloe Gilbert led Polo with 15. Junior Hanna Vaught had 12. The LeBlond defense turned Polo over 16 times.
LeBlond is back in the state quarterfinals for a third straight year. This time, they'll see Miller (25-4) at the Missouri Western Fieldhouse on Saturday at 1:45 p.m. with a trip to the Final Four on the line.
Miller defeated Archie Tuesday in sectionals, 52-40.
East Buchanan loses back-and-forth battle with South Harrison
South Harrison got off to a 9-1 start in the first quarter, and finished strong in a 52-46 win over East Buchanan in a Class 3 state sectional game at Staley High School Tuesday.
South Harrison (23-5) led 24-19 at the break, but then trailed East Buchanan 35-34 at the start of the fourth.
East Buchanan (23-5) led by as many as four, but South Harrison managed to tie and eventually retake the lead in the fourth. The game featured six ties and five lead changes in all.
South Harrison jumped back in front 44-40 and then eventually 50-44 in the waning minutes. East Buchanan's top scorer, senior Gracie Kelsey, was somewhat limited with three first half fouls.
Kelsey finished with a team-high 24 points, but she fouled out with just a couple of minutes left in the game.
South Harrison's star forward, junior Hannah Carter, took advantage of Kelsey's absence on the floor and dropped a game-high 27 points.
Both teams got into the double bonus in the end, but it was South Harrison who got more opportunities at the free throw line. The Bulldogs from Bethany finished 21-of-31 at the stripe. The Bulldogs from Gower were 16-of-26.
South Harrison was especially good at the free throw line late, going 12-of-16 in the fourth quarter alone.
East Buchanan ends another successful season, winning three district titles in the last four seasons. South Harrison advances to state quarterfinals to play El Dorado Springs on Saturday at 3:30 at the Missouri Western Fieldhouse.
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